Chapter 245 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Part 21): How to Become a Super Strategist...

"Losses? Deputy General Zhang, if Heyang is lost, does our Meng family army have any way out? Song Ce's occupation of Heyang is like planting a knife in our Qin Prefecture! If we don't pull it out soon, this knife will eventually pierce through our Pingzhou City! At that time, let alone some casualties, I'm afraid our entire Meng family army will be doomed!"

Zhang Liuliang shrank back under Meng Tianxi's gaze, speechless.

"How can you, as a dignified deputy general of my Meng family army, be so cowardly? So what if the morale of the Dali army is rising day by day? Once our 70,000 troops have pressed on, the battlefield situation will be reversed!" Lu Ying shouted.

Meng Tianxi ignored him, stretching out his hand and sliding it across the map, pointing out the marching route from Pingzhou to Heyang. "Now that Dali has just acquired a city from my Qin territory, they are probably busy appeasing the people and checking the treasury. They certainly don't expect us to launch a counterattack so quickly. Liu Liang, Lu Ying, you two quickly prepare the troops. In five days, we will set off along this shortcut and be at the gates of Heyang before Song Ce can react!"

"General, how many troops should we take on this mission?" Zhang Liuliang asked.

"Do you even need to ask? Of course, it's all of them." Lu Ying kicked him and said arrogantly, "With 70,000 troops surrounding us, I refuse to believe we can't take down even a small city like Heyang!"

“But Young Master Lu!” Zhang Liuliang moved his lips, then hesitated, “Those strong soldiers recruited at the end of the year have not yet been trained in the Meng family army’s training grounds. I am worried that they may not be of great use!”

"Even if they're not of great use, we still have to use them!" Lu Ying sneered. "The battlefield situation changes in an instant. The more people we have, the better our chances of winning! When we get to the battlefield, we'll let them charge ahead! Hmph, with a large army backing us up, I doubt they'll dare to retreat!"

Zhang Liuliang wanted to say something more, but Lu Ying raised her hand to stop him. "Years ago, Tianxi saw that Song Ce had some ability and wanted to win him over, but he didn't know what was good for him and ended up joining the Dali rebels. Don't worry, he's just a civil official, how would he know the intricacies of the battlefield? Even if he knows a little about military strategy, it's just theoretical! Do you think he can stop my 70,000 troops from Qinzhou?"

After hearing this, Meng Tianxi said no more and immediately ordered: "Zhang Liuliang, convey my order that all battalion commanders be responsible for counting the number of troops. The army will set off in five days! Anyone who disobeys this order will be punished according to military law!"

"Yes, General!" Zhang Liuliang responded loudly and immediately withdrew to make arrangements.

"Lu Ying, you go out too. I want to be alone." Meng Tianxi's expression was unreadable as he turned his back on her.

"Tianxi, I know you're heartbroken that Heyang is gone. I'll stay here with you without saying a word..."

I'll tell everyone!

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying gripped her sleeve tightly, but ultimately turned and left, leaving Meng Tianxi alone in the room.

After a long while, Meng Tianxi clenched his fists and slumped into a chair.

He recalled how he had sincerely tried to win over Song Ce, believing that if the man stayed obediently in Pingzhou, he would eventually pledge allegiance and serve him. But to his surprise, Song Ce not only rejected him but also led the Dali army to occupy his Heyang—a blatant slap in the face!

"...Song Ce, do you think you're all set just because you've managed to seize Heyang? Just wait, I'll make you pay the price!" Meng Tianxi spat out these words through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with deep anger.

Meanwhile, inside Heyang City, Song Ce was discussing follow-up matters with Tang Yuan, Bao Zhuozhi, and others.

"General, the people in the city have all dutifully received their rations and are very grateful to our army. Currently, the order within the city has basically stabilized," Bao Zhuozhi reported.

Song Ce nodded. "Very good. Have any reports come back from the scouts you sent out?"

"As the general predicted, after Heyang was captured by our Dali, Meng Tianxi personally led an army of 70,000 men, which is expected to set off from Pingzhou and head towards Heyang. It is estimated that they will be at the city gates in three or four days!"

As soon as Tang Yuan finished speaking, the expressions of the people in the tent all changed.

One of the young generals, surnamed Wang, couldn't contain himself any longer and stepped forward, saying in a deep voice, "Seventy thousand troops? Meng Tianxi has laid bare the entire strength of Pingzhou! Although Dali has just won a battle, we only have thirty thousand troops at most. With a difference of more than two times, I'm afraid our army will have a hard time defeating them!"

Bao Zhuozhi frowned as well, "Even if those strong soldiers who came after the expedition haven't received much training, they'll still be a valuable asset on the battlefield!"

Song Ce smiled faintly, showing no sign of panic, and said very naturally, "You are wrong. There are only 10,000 troops left in the city."

"General, what...what did you say?"

As Song Ce finished speaking, the candlelight in the room flickered, illuminating the astonished expressions on everyone's faces even more clearly. Tang Yuan swallowed hard, his voice filled with urgency and disbelief, "Our Dali army of 30,000 is already weaker than the Meng family army, how could we be missing 20,000? General, where have those 20,000 brothers gone?"

Song Ce pointed at the map and finally stopped in the area of ​​Qingjian Mountain, east of Heyang. He calmly asked, "Gentlemen, haven't you noticed that someone is missing from the house?"

The generals looked at each other and shook their heads.

After a moment, Bao Zhuozhi was the first to react, and asked in surprise, "General, the person you're talking about... is it Deputy General Mu?"

Song Ce nodded and said calmly, "On the night we captured Heyang, I ordered Mu Anyong to lead 20,000 elite troops eastward, cross the Qingjian Mountains, and head straight for Pingzhou, which is hundreds of miles away."

"Pingzhou? That's the current headquarters of the Meng family army? That place has always been heavily guarded... No, that's not right! Pingzhou City right now is just an empty city!"

Song Ce smiled slightly and explained to everyone, "Meng Tianxi may seem calm, but he is actually ambitious and extremely arrogant. Such a person would never allow his subordinates to lose the city carelessly. Therefore, he will definitely mobilize the entire city's forces to take back Heyang City in one fell swoop."

“From Pingzhou to Heyang, it’s only a two or three-day march. If Meng Tianxi wants to catch us off guard, he will march day and night. But Mu Anyong has been hiding near Pingzhou for a month in advance. When the time is right, he can take down Meng’s army’s stronghold.”

Tang Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up. "General, do you want Vice General Mu to take advantage of the situation? But what if Meng Tianxi left people in Pingzhou City? How can the Dali Army launch a strong attack then?"

"A direct assault?" Song Ce laughed. "When did I say that our army was going to launch a direct assault on Pingzhou?"

The young officer surnamed Wang stepped forward and asked疑惑地问道, "Then what does the general mean..."

"Gentlemen, Pingzhou City is high and well-fortified, and there may be garrison troops left behind. If we launch a direct attack, we will inevitably suffer losses and waste time. If Meng Tianxi reacts and leads his troops back to rescue the city, then this whole plan will be in vain. Therefore, attacking the city is the inferior strategy, while attacking the mind is the superior one. Just wait and see, I believe it won't be long before good news comes from Pingzhou City."

Meanwhile, after learning that Meng Tianxi had led his army away, Mu Anyong ordered his elite suicide squad, led by Yi Datian, to secretly infiltrate Pingzhou City through a tunnel they had dug.

Yi Datian's suicide squad, like a sharp knife, suddenly burst out of Pingzhou City, opened the city gates, and set fires everywhere, creating chaos. Just as chaos reigned within the city, Mu Anyong commanded the remaining main force to launch a general offensive from outside the city!

Under the combined attack from within and without, Pingzhou City, already weakly defended, collapsed instantly. The Meng family army within the city, lacking its commander, was unable to mount an effective resistance. Taking advantage of this opportunity, 20,000 elite troops from the Dali Kingdom swiftly poured into the city, capturing Lu Ying, who had been left to garrison it.

Thus, the fortified city of Pingzhou was swiftly captured by Song Ce at minimal cost.

...

Halfway through their march, the Meng family army saw a scout covered in blood, riding a fast horse and stumbling from behind. The moment he saw their commander, Meng Tianxi, the scout and his horse collapsed in front of him.

"General! Something terrible has happened! Pingzhou... Pingzhou has been attacked!" The scout coughed up a mouthful of blood as he finished speaking.

Meng Tianxi's mind went blank for a moment. He abruptly dismounted and grabbed the scout by the collar. "What did you say? Pingzhou was attacked? How could Pingzhou be attacked? Where are the garrison troops inside the city? And where is Lu Ying??"

"Young Master Lu... he's been captured alive by the Dali army!" The scout's face was filled with fear, and his voice grew increasingly trembling. "The Dali army appeared out of nowhere, first closing the city gates, then setting fire to the city! After they had wreaked havoc in the city, their main force stormed in from outside! Before the defenders could even organize a resistance, the city... it fell..."

"No, no!" Meng Tianxi staggered back a few steps, gritting his teeth and roaring, "I clearly left five thousand troops before I left, how could they be so easily defeated?"

"This...this humble general does not know..."

Meng Tianxi's eyes were bloodshot, and he barely managed to stand by holding onto the reins of his horse. Pingzhou was his base; all his provisions and military equipment were there. If Pingzhou were lost, his Meng family army would become a tree without roots!

He had been fully expecting to retake Heyang in one fell swoop and teach Song Ce a lesson, but now... not only had he failed to take back Heyang, but his own stronghold had also been destroyed!

"Song Ce...it's Song Ce again!" Meng Tianxi's teeth chattered, his eyes blazing with fury. "How did he manage to set up such a massive scheme! A mere 30,000 soldiers dare to toy with and humiliate me like this! This is outrageous! Outrageous!!"

Seeing his commander's murderous expression, Zhang Liuliang cautiously asked, "General, what do we do now? Should we continue towards Heyang, or turn back to rescue Pingzhou?"

Meng Tianxi remained silent for a long time, his eyes bloodshot.

Should they return to rescue Pingzhou? But since the Dali army was able to easily capture Pingzhou, they must have been prepared. If they led their army back, they might fall into an enemy ambush. Should they continue to Heyang? Pingzhou's food and military supplies have all fallen into enemy hands. Without the city's food supplies, it is unknown how long these 70,000 troops can hold out.

"General, you can't hesitate any longer!" Zhang Liuliang stepped forward and said urgently, "If we delay any longer, it will be very disadvantageous for our army!"

Meng Tianxi looked up towards Heyang and took a deep breath. He was unwilling, truly unwilling!

"Immediately issue my order: the army must turn back to Pingzhou! Send out scouts to closely monitor the surrounding area and prevent the Dali army from ambushing us. Also, transfer those newly recruited strong soldiers to the vanguard and let them lead the charge!"

Zhang Liuliang was startled upon hearing this. "General, those new recruits haven't been trained yet. If we send them to the front lines, wouldn't that be a pointless death?"

"So what if they die?" Meng Tianxi sneered, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. "They eat the food of my Meng family, so they should fight for my Meng family! Besides, let this rabble wear down the enemy's forces first. When both sides are exhausted, our main force will then advance and we will surely be able to take back Pingzhou City in one fell swoop!"

"General!"

"No more words! All troops, advance at full speed! Anyone who dares to retreat even a step will be court-martialed!"

"Yes... General." Zhang Liuliang sighed and replied helplessly.

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Author's Note: [Crying][Crying][Crying] This overtime worker is weeping and kneeling in despair~